(WFRV) – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced on Tuesday morning that a university project reinforced that salt brine is effective in winter highway maintenance.
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According to a release, the new research reaffirmed that salt brine is far more effective than traditional granular salt, and it uses 40-72% less salt than the traditional rock salt.
WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman said via the release that it’s important to base the strategies on research, especially with a chaotic winter.
“This Clear Roads project provides valuable data that confirms what our teams and county partners have observed for years – salt brine is an effective tool to improve safety on our roads, reduce material use and environmental impact and optimize available resources,” Boardman said.
The project was conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory through the Clear Roads research initiative.
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“This study confirms that salt brine can deliver the same level of roadway safety while using substantially less material,” TOPS Lab Associate Director Andrea Bill said.
The testing was done out in the field, and Bill says it quantifies what many winter maintenance officials have already seen—brine is effective and efficient.
